Buffalo Bills News - February 26, 2001

Fluties, Johnson both have positives...and negatives [1:30 PM]Olean Times Herald reports:
'Donahoe and Williams have done their homework. They've watched every play Johnson and Flutie triggered last season. They've interviewed some 60 people - players, coaches, medical people and others - to get a profile on both QBs. They've even had separate face-to-face meetings with Flutie and Johnson.'

Itís looking like Johnson is Buffaloís guy [12:04 PM]cnnsi.com reports:
Columnist Don Banks indicates that while media reports have speculated that Flutie was in the lead for most of the past week or so, league sources believe Johnson will be the choice of coach Gregg Williams. League personnel officials and scouts say that the signs all indicate itís Johnsonís job to lose.

Bills will determine Dolphins' move [6:25 AM]Palm Beach Post reports:
'Creating enough room under the salary cap, however, could be a stumbling block in signing either Johnson. As it stands, the Dolphins will have to restructure some deals and release playersto re-sign some of their own free agents.'

Dolphins would be interested in R. Johnson [6:21 AM]Miami Herald reports:
'Look for the Dolphins to be among a group of teams that will express strong interest in Buffalo Bills quarterback Rob Johnson if he is released this week.'

Sheppard finally gets to call offensive shots [5:54 AM]D and C reports:
'During his 27-year football coaching career, Sheppard has been climbing the ladder of success, and now he has his first chance to put his own stamp on a National Football League offense.'

It's decision time: Johnson or Flutie [8:08 AM]Houston Chronicle reports:
'Don't be surprised if it's the other way around -- Johnson over Flutie. Johnson has more upside and seems ideally suited for the West Coast system Williams plans to install. They also save more against the cap by waiving Flutie ($3 million) than Johnson ($1.6 million).'

Combine plays key role [6:55 AM]Boston Herald reports:
'"Even if we didn't have the salary cap issue, these guys couldn't be on the same team. This has gone almost beyond not liking each other."'

February 24, 2001

QB speculation inaccurate [10:58 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
"The answer is, emphatically, that no decision will be made until next week," Donahoe said. "Any other report or speculation would be false and premature."

Mauck sounds off on quarterbacks, performance of line [8:56 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'But there's no doubt who Mauck thinks was the best man for the offense in 2000. "Doug got sacked one out of 23 pass attempts, Rob got sacked one out of six," Mauck said from his office in Detroit, where he is the Lions' offensive line coach. "I think you can figure it out for yourself."'

February 23, 2001

A Flurry of Player Movements [12:39 PM]NFL.com reports:
Provides a team-by-team summary of cuts, franchise tags, transition players, and signings as of 2/22/01

Buffalo battles [11:40 AM]CNN/SI reports:
'"They do not like each other," said Donahoe, not exactly breaking that story. "Both of them were committed to being the guy. As long as the other guy wasn't there. ... Even if we didn't have a [salary] cap issue, these two guys can't be on the same team. This has almost gone beyond not liking each other."'

Unplugged: Washington among Bills' cuts [8:54 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'"Unfortunately we have some rules we have to live by. . . . We have to bite the bullet so we can get a handle on the cap in the future."'

Ex-Bill could be in Jets' mix [6:56 AM]Bergen Record reports:
'The Jets are near his Western New York home of the past five seasons. They also have a need at tackle, especially if they shift to a 4-3 style. And they have his old Bills defensive coordinator, Ted Cottrell.'

Bills Inc. [6:36 AM]Fox Sports reports:
'Flutie or Johnson? It's a question that splintered the Bills and led to the release of head coach Wade Phillips. It's the issue that must be laid to rest before this franchise moves forward into free agency and the off-season.'

Bills keep uniforms [5:58 AM]D and C reports:
'The Buffalo Bills have discussed changes in their uniform but there are no plans to follow through with any of them.'

February 22, 2001

Dolphins Release Thurman Thomas, Tony Martin [11:00 PM]Reuters reports:
'Thurman Thomas, a five-time Pro Bowl running back, was cut loose by the Miami Dolphins on Thursday, paving his way to rejoin the Buffalo Bills so that he can retire with the team he helped to four Super Bowls.'

Age over Flutie [10:25 PM]Fox Sports reports:
'Could it be? An article logically arguing for the retention of Johnson?'

Bills deny report, say decision to be made Wednesday [10:02 PM]AP reports:
Williams said he's talked to 50 or 60 people about the situation... "I don't know who else I can talk to," Williams said. "We've talked to the media people in Buffalo about how they handled that, we've talked about community relations and whether they wanted to live in Buffalo."

Flutie's proven record speaks for itself [8:34 PM]ESPN reports:
'Doug can't throw the deep in route. He is not able to attack the middle of the field with his arm. To account for this, the coaches have developed alternatives with fade routes and an increased reliance on tight end Jay Riemersma.'

Bills release Washington, Panos and Mohr [8:28 PM]D and C reports:
'Washington, Panos and Mohr were scheduled to eat up $12.412 million in cap room in 2001. Instead, the Bills trimmed approximately $5.05 million from the more than $18 million they must cut by next Friday.'

Bills still haven't made decision on QB situation [8:26 PM]CBS Sportsline reports:
'When he accepted the position of Buffalo Bills president and general manager last month, Tom Donahoe didn't realize that putting out brush fires was a significant part of the job description. But there he was Thursday morning dragging out the hose again.'